Assessment Toolbox:Focus Group Design
Focus groups are a confidential group discussion with a trained and skilled moderator using open-ended questions that promote interaction and explore participants' perspectives and experiences in a structured by relaxed atmosphere designed to generate qualitative data. Check out the resources below for best practices.
Focus groups:
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Are a qualitative research tool, which yields in-depth descriptions from a small homogeneous sample
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Cover the maximum range of topics
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Provide specific data about participants' perspectives and experiences as a basis of their attitudes and opinions
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Explore participants' experiences in depth
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Explore the personal context within which the participants offer their attitudes and opinions
Why focus groups are used:
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To gather data about how participants make meaning about a topic of interest (sole source)
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To gather data needed to construct a survey (exploratory)
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To gather data that can be used to help explain the results of a survey (follow-up)